Singaporean Youth Crowdfunds to Study Abroad, Unfortunately Gets Criticised by Netizens

We all know what a struggle it can be to fund our own education, and the fees only become more burdensome the more we further our studies. Anyone still paying their PTPTN loans?

One young woman from Singapore definitely felt the pressure of funding her studies as she even resorted to crowdfunding to help fund her masters!

26-year-old Elizabeth “Lizzie” Er started her campaign, ‘Let Lizzie Learn’ on Crowdfunder.com last Monday (5th June) in an effort to get enough money so she can pursue her masters degree in the UK.

Source: crowdfunder

The art history researcher shared that she received an offer from one of the most prestigious universities in the UK, The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London to pursue her masters in Southeast Asian studies. 

However, Lizzie expressed that funding her education would be a challenge, considering the fact that she would be moving halfway across the world to study, which was why she decided to start the crowdfunding campaign.

Source: crowndfunder

Lizzie also said that in addition to crowdfunding, she would be living on a strict budget of SGD$50 (approx RM213) a day for four weeks.

She broke down the incredibly expensive amount of money she needed for her studies in her campaign description as well, saying,

“My estimated, total cost of studying in London for a year is £40,000 (approx. RM217,400) – I know, that’s a scary amount! [18k (approx. RM97,800)  for tuition fees alone, and the rest for study, living, transport, visa expenses].”

“I’m left to source for the final £10,000 (approx. RM54,300), which I’m super duper hoping the power of the people can help me with. I think it’s an achievable goal!”

Source: instagram

Lizzie also explained why she set her goal to £12,000 (approx. RM65,200), saying,

“Crowdfunder takes commission off what I get, which is why I’ve set the goal at £12,000. If we reach this amount, I will donate any extras to an NPO (non-profit organisation).”

In addition to that, she also revealed that she would be taking a private loan of £20,000 (approx. Rm108,600), which she says is “not from her parents”. She also plans to work part-time while studying in London to help alleviate this amount. Sounds like a long road ahead!

She further explained that she’ll acknowledge her donors in her master’s dissertation and gift them with a professionally produced e-book on Southeast Asian art.

Lizzie’s crowdfunding campaign was met with a lot of criticism from Singaporean netizens, some of them even wondering why she wanted to pursue Southeast Asian studies in the UK in the first place.

Source: facebook

Source: facebook

Source: facebook

However, some netizens understood Lizzie’s side of the story.

Source: facebook

Source: facebook

Source: facebook

Do you think crowdfunding to pursue education is reasonable? At least for deserving students right? Let us know what you think!

Also read: Someone Started A Fundraiser For Homeless SPM Candidate Who Scored Good Grades